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Answers to WTFWTK 2.79!

Mattel has once again provided answers to your questions.
Thanks again to them for taking the time to answer these!
Check out their answers to your Round 79 questions!

This round of questions were selected by MOTU_Maniac.
Thanks to those fans for their help!

-------------------

1. bigsexy_j: We hear in answers all the time that design decisions of the figures are left up to the 4H. The 4H designed Stinkor with new forearms and put them on the sides they decided they should be on. Why was the decision made by Mattel then to swap the forearms on Stinkor and change the design of the 4H prototype? Is this not contradictory of all the other times we were told that all these decisions are the 4H's and has nothing to do with engineering or safety standards?

The Horsemen make sculpting choices (like how many eyes to give Webstor) but it is up to Mattel designers to translate the Horsemen non articulated sculpt into a functional toy and sometimes changes are made for logistical, aesthetic or safety/assembly reasons. The choice to swap Stinkor's arms was made by Mattel design to give Stinkor a little something extra since he reuses so many parts and make him stand out on shelf. Design also changed Horde Prime’s chest form the flat armor lower torso to the muscle torso. Some choices fans may like, others not so much. But at the end of the day the design team makes the final call on the look and functionality of the figures using the Horsemen sculpt as a jumping off point. This has been the same since figure 1.

2. Canada-Man: Would there be a res-use of Ram Man's buck? And would it be in scale with the vintage toy or be a larger buck to be a bigger dude like in the 200x cartoon?

We'll have to see when and if we get to Ram Man!

3. Nemisythe: Considering we are starting to see pullbacks on paint applications (for example: Stinkor's weapons and now the Snake Mountain stands) are we going to see this continue on upcoming figures, beasts, etc?

The Horsemen often "over deco" figures beyond what we ask for or can afford. We are still delivering $22.00 worth of paint ops on all 2012 figures. Now that figures cost more we have to sometimes reduce deco to keep a figure in cost. In 2013 we will raise prices so we can afford more deco and more accessories.

4. bskcase: Since it is clear that Snout Spout was defective, can we have a re-release of the figure with a solid plastic snout down the line? I think we are owed that.

He was not defective. Toys do sometimes break after being played with or posed. If you have a broken toy you can have it replaced by calling customer service for a non broken one.

5. MOTU_Maniac: Is Mattel considering making Tiered Figure Stands that would work for MOTUC figures (like Mattel did for WWE figures)? I just put up new shelves to expand my collection room and I am already running out of room! Tiered Stands would allow fans to have several rows of figures AND the ability to see all of their lovely faces. They seem to have worked great for the WWE figures!

1. bigsexy_j: We hear in answers all the time that design decisions of the figures are left up to the 4H. The 4H designed Stinkor with new forearms and put them on the sides they decided they should be on. Why was the decision made by Mattel then to swap the forearms on Stinkor and change the design of the 4H prototype? Is this not contradictory of all the other times we were told that all these decisions are the 4H's and has nothing to do with engineering or safety standards?

The Horsemen make sculpting choices (like how many eyes to give Webstor) but it is up to Mattel designers to translate the Horsemen non articulated sculpt into a functional toy and sometimes changes are made for logistical, aesthetic or safety/assembly reasons. The choice to swap Stinkor's arms was made by Mattel design to give Stinkor a little something extra since he reuses so many parts and make him stand out on shelf. Design also changed Horde Prime’s chest form the flat armor lower torso to the muscle torso. Some choices fans may like, others not so much. But at the end of the day the design team makes the final call on the look and functionality of the figures using the Horsemen sculpt as a jumping off point. This has been the same since figure 1.

Oh REALLY?! That's weird. Both times he was shown he had the smooth lower torso. We recently noticed the crossbow change, but it was always the same lower torso. Now he's wearing bikini armour. That's...pretty darn weird. It also makes him look more like Faceless One instead of different (excuse/explanation for Stinkor's arms). Weird.

Also...the 4H's sculpts ARE articulated. They have the pins in the elbows and knees. They're not all ONE piece. Who's answering these questions!?

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

The snout spout answer really ticks me off. Mine was broken in the package, called Matty the day I received them and they did not have replacement stock. Can't really get it replaced, now, can you?

Same. I called about my Sorceress the day she arrived broken from my sub. I was told there were none for replacements and got a refund minus shipping. Horrible.

We need to let our new friends at Super 7 know that many of us are ALL IN COLLECTORS. We don't want products that are impossible for the average collector to have access to! If there is a He-man product, I want to buy it. Please no chases or con-only exclusives.

Gotta call BS on the Snout Spout answer... the figure IS defective / the figure's trunk material IS defective. Mine is STILL IN THE PACKAGE, mint condition, and the TRUNK IS SPLITTING. I also think it is really lame that the person who answered this question directed the readers to customer service when he/she knows full well there is no stock and no viable or reasonable "replacement" solution.

If the answer to this question is an example of the "improved" customer service that we're going to get from Matty thanks to their new "internal" division, then color me underwhelmed and highly unimpressed. 8 shades of the color wrong [answer].

Wow, talk about chutzpah! There's a fine line between damage control and coverup sometimes...
Let's just hope the design team learns from this fiasco. We know they got the hint with Snout Spout through Slush Head's arms. That's as close to an admission as we're going to get.

The Horsemen make sculpting choices (like how many eyes to give Webstor) but it is up to Mattel designers to translate the Horsemen non articulated sculpt into a functional toy and sometimes changes are made for logistical, aesthetic or safety/assembly reasons. The choice to swap Stinkor's arms was made by Mattel design to give Stinkor a little something extra since he reuses so many parts and make him stand out on shelf. Design also changed Horde Prime’s chest form the flat armor lower torso to the muscle torso. Some choices fans may like, others not so much. But at the end of the day the design team makes the final call on the look and functionality of the figures using the Horsemen sculpt as a jumping off point.This has been the same since figure 1.

Uh, OK. Tell me why, at this point, we should not literally get out the torches and pitch forks? They now feel they have with impunity the ability to swap around parts from a presented 4 Horsemen prototype without consulting the customer base? What happened to "we leave these decisions tho the 4 Horsemen"? This is the first time I have been literally enraged by a response given by their PR team, who ever wrote it. I have been enraged by snafus(mistakes happen) but outright saying "tough turkey" we reserve the right to mess things up if we want, the 4 horsemen are just low end employees in this line, is a slap in the face. Good luck selling me the 2013 sub. I have bought them all until now and intended to until this very moment. If I can no longer trust that the figures will be as the horsemen intended, why should I put my money in ahead of time? I will just wait until I see an actual production figure before I order to make sure it has not been "Design Teamed". I suggest a real change in attitude when it comes to design of these toys between the 4 horsemen and Mattel "design". The Sorceress' wings for functionality is one thing, Stinkor's arms and Primes abs are another. What is next my friends? What is next? Will Spikor have Teela boots? Will Mosquitor have Roboto's Torso?

Uh, OK. Tell me why, at this point, we should not literally get out the torches and pitch forks? They now feel they have with impunity the ability to swap around parts from a presented 4 Horsemen prototype without consulting the customer base? What happened to "we leave these decisions tho the 4 Horsemen"? This is the first time I have been literally enraged by a response given by their PR team, who ever wrote it. I have been enraged by snafus(mistakes happen) but outright saying "tough turkey" we reserve the right to mess things up if we want, the 4 horsemen are just low end employees in this line, is a slap in the face. Good luck selling me the 2013 sub. I have bought them all until now and intended to until this very moment. If I can no longer trust that the figures will be as the horsemen intended, why should I put my money in ahead of time? I will just wait until I see an actual production figure before I order to make sure it has not been "Design Teamed". I suggest a real change in attitude when it comes to design of these toys between the 4 horsemen and Mattel "design". The Sorceress' wings for functionality is one thing, Stinkor's arms and Primes abs are another. What is next my friends? What is next? Will Spikor have Teela boots? Will Mosquitor have Roboto's Torso?

What about switching the boots on ToD Sorceress?

Did we like that? or throw a fit over that one? I was never gonna get her, so didn't pay attention. Sounds like the same situation.

Honestly, I think the fact that they say they've been doing it this way since the beginning makes this a non-issue.

The one that bugs me the most is Snout Spout answer... He IS defective. Plain and simple. You have a toy that will break. What is the difference between that and... ummm... Toyota issueing a statement that 'Ohhhhh yeah.... we know occassionally the brakes lock on that car... and a minority of the owners blow up and die.... Sooooo we won't make them THAT way any more. But Yeah. the 2012 toyota deathtrap is NOT defective. That's just the way it is!

An honest answer is simply that Yeah, it sucks... the snout is bad material... we won't use that again (see slushhead), There is no intention on rereleasing this version.... but the 200x head would be a great refresh down the line.... can't announce anything past Frosta right now.

That was changed well before production, and does not change much on the over all aesthetic. It also was not designed by the 4 horsemen, the original Sorceress was. The Idea to make it a variant and then change something to make it more accurate to the source material and explain why well before it was on sale is completely different than the Prime's ab crunch changed only on the production figure.

Of course I also agree with you on the "Snout Spout Issue". All of these answers are either uninformed or infuriating. What happened here? Scott, a little damage control please?

EDIT: Ok, answer number 3 was not "infuriating" or "misinformed", I assume anyway.

Did we like that? or throw a fit over that one? I was never gonna get her, so didn't pay attention. Sounds like the same situation.

Honestly, I think the fact that they say they've been doing it this way since the beginning makes this a non-issue.

The situation with Stinkor would be more akin to a Sorceress that had her left and right boots switched. Unless they're designing a new mutant buck, they ought to leave basic anatomy alone. The "had to differentiate Stinkor from Merman" bit is a total wash. After the extra head and dramatically different color scheme? Nah.

I think Mattel design proved with the 200X line that they are lousy. Sorry to sound like an ass, but the things that Mattel does in-house suck. Lack of reasoning and a crummy imagination. How can they not know that switching forearms would look wrong on Stinkor? Thie mistakes made are sometimes accidental (snout spout) but sometimes pure stupidity (Stinkor and horde prime now too). Please stop "improving" things until 2013 when my sub runs out so I don't get anymore "non-defective" figures.

An honest answer is simply that Yeah, it sucks... the snout is bad material... we won't use that again (see slushhead), There is no intention on rereleasing this version.... but the 200x head would be a great refresh down the line.... can't announce anything past Frosta right now.

I agree with you 1000%. This would have been a MUCH better way to craft (and deliver) an answer. You should fire your resume over to Mattel; they could make great use of your talents!

Originally Posted by Inhibitor

The "had to differentiate Stinkor from Merman" bit is a total wash. After the extra head and dramatically different color scheme?

As well as the furry body, neck piece, and the chest armor with 200X inspired attachments (like the mask, tanks, and lever.) The things that you and I mentioned are DRAMATICALLY more quick read than the forearm swap. With all of these other changes nobody would have ever locked their gaze on the forearms (and then take a step back and let the full figure soak in) and say... "Man, I feel so ripped off... all that money for a repainted Mer-Man. I am a chump for buying this."

Last edited by Darth Daddy; May 16, 2012 at 10:34pm.
Reason: Automerged Doublepost

He was not defective. Toys do sometimes break after being played with or posed. If you have a broken toy you can have it replaced by calling customer service for a non broken one.

Wow!! Talk about not owning up to responsibility. It would be like my child breaking a glass lamp in the living room and telling me that it was going to break eventually because it was made of glass. Sorry, but something that does not function the way it is supposed to, especially not even in a year........is defective. If I had a DVD player quit working after a month of purchase....am I being told it's not defective because I was able to use it for 3 weeks? Just wow!

And as for answer #1 with the Stinkor forearms, I'm still calling BS....How many figures do we have now that have a lot of re-used parts and nothing was changed on them? Then all of a sudden with Stinkor, they decide it would be cool to put backwards forearms on? Don't worry Mattel, we the customers will know the truth when people pop off the forearms on Stinkor and see if the R and the L are in the right place.

But OH BOY... is Question and Answer #4 gonna open a whole can of worms.....

That answer was Terrible.. I have had toys that were broken in the package and I have some break when playing around with them them but that usually happens because there is all ready a defect in the figure but I have never had one break after it was "Posed" and just sitting on the shelf until now. Just a plain rotten answer!! I cant believe this is what they consider customer service and how can they not know THEY DONT HAVE ANYMORE SNOUT SPOUTS!!!

Plus they make it sound like it is your fault that if you play or pose your figures it is your fault if they break? They should put a warning on the packaging!!!

The situation with Stinkor would be more akin to a Sorceress that had her left and right boots switched. Unless they're designing a new mutant buck, they ought to leave basic anatomy alone. The "had to differentiate Stinkor from Merman" bit is a total wash. After the extra head and dramatically different color scheme? Nah.

And doesnt he have the furry buck too? POW! And no twisted anatomy needed, just a furry body, new paint, head, and armor and Stinkor totally rocks. Now he just really rocks.

And doesnt he have the furry buck too? POW! And no twisted anatomy needed, just a furry body, new paint, head, and armor and Stinkor totally rocks. Now he just really rocks.

I'm almost glad that I have a serious allergy to perfume and have to customize my own Stinkor now. I have to say that with seeing all the answers admins on the site have done lately on Matty that perhaps it wasn't Scott who answered this round?

If I buy a car, and I'm driving down the road and my wheel falls off because the material used to make it was substandard, the car manufacturer won't say "Whoopsie daisy! Well, these things happen when you're driving a car."

No, that wheel would be called defective and I'd be getting a new wheel along with a major apology. I don't expect Mattel to make a new run of Snout Spouts with new material to replace those messed up (mine is still fine so far thankfully) but trying to deny it's defective is silly.

Gotta call BS on the Snout Spout answer... the figure IS defective / the figure's trunk material IS defective. Mine is STILL IN THE PACKAGE, mint condition, and the TRUNK IS SPLITTING. I also think it is really lame that the person who answered this question directed the readers to customer service when he/she knows full well there is no stock and no viable or reasonable "replacement" solution.

If the answer to this question is an example of the "improved" customer service that we're going to get from Matty thanks to their new "internal" division, then color me underwhelmed and highly unimpressed. 8 shades of the color wrong [answer].

Can you tell I'm mad?

The "adding insult to injury" part is the fact that months before he shipped fans expressed concern about the material being used in an "Ask Matty", and we were told Mattel had a "crack team of testers" to make sure that didn't happen, everything was "rigorously tested", etc.

It's a defect because it affects everyone. Mine hasn't split (yet), but it has completely stiffened from it's pliability when it was opened. This was noticeable after just 2-3 months out of the package.

There is something called "normal wear and tear", and this product doesn't even stand up to zero wear. I took it out, posed it once (didn't really touch the snout except to see it was very pliable when I opened it), and now it's frozen in place. I'd actually be fine with that (or if the figure originally came out that way), but hearing that some people have them MOC and are seeing splits, means it's just a matter of time before they all split, even if we don't handle them. And, unlike a lot of other Mattel goofs, I don't believe there is anything that can be done to repair him even with those of us who do tinker with the figures a bit.

Let me guess, in a year or two they will admit it, and start taking returns like they did with Goddess, years after the fact.

Answers #1 and #4 are a slap in the face for everyone, fans/customers and the 4 Horsemen. I'm enraged beyond words! How dare they say things like that?
I agree with the reactions above and won't waste my time repeating all the arguments again because Matty and their attitude are just not worth it.
Why does such a great property have to be in the hands of these people?

4. bskcase: Since it is clear that Snout Spout was defective, can we have a re-release of the figure with a solid plastic snout down the line? I think we are owed that.

He was not defective. Toys do sometimes break after being played with or posed. If you have a broken toy you can have it replaced by calling customer service for a non broken one.

I feel that this answer is outrageous and scandalous ! Clearly, Snout Spout IS defective, and the material used for his trunk made it brittle and decaying. One more slap in our face, one more blatant denial. How are we supposed to grant any respect to TG when we get this kind of answer ?

The first answer is also a crying shame. Reversed parts (a recurring flaw with this line) are NOT cool and unacceptable 4 years into the line, no matter what kinds of pretexts and excuses are given. Especially when we were promised this wouldn't happen anymore !